Chapter 6

 

 

 

 

 

TL: Chaos

 

ED: Mateo

 

 

 

 

 

The following day, 7 o’clock, Friday.

 

 

 

I was sitting at the study desk in my room.

 

 

 

Tomorrow, I’ll finally start my part-time job as a private tutor. I was in the middle of finishing up the study handouts for the job on my laptop.

 

 

 

Fortunately, the yankee girls were away. There was no Erika-chan on the futon either.

 

 

 

I was completely alone.

 

 

 

Even though it’s my room, it’s weird because this is the first time in a long time that I felt like this.

 

 

 

“Ah—How pleasant! Being able to concentrate on my studies is the best!”

 

 

 

I couldn’t help but say it out loud, feeling a pleasant sense of liberty.

 

 

 

Just as I said that, the door to my room opened.

 

 

 

“You’re monologuing too loud!”

 

 

 

“Waaaaaaa!!”

 

 

 

Erika-chan appeared out of nowhere.

 

 

 

I was surprised to see someone I wasn’t expecting, and embarrassed to be heard talking to myself, so I ended up shouting.

 

 

 

Erika-chan looked at me and smirked.

 

 

 

“Onii-san, are you the type of person to monologue a lot? Are you really that lonely? Honestly, don’t you think it’s not enough that we didn’t come hang out here yesterday and today?”

 

 

 

“No no! That’s not true!! Leaving that aside, what are you doing in my room all of a sudden!?”

 

 

 

“Of course it’s because I have something to do.”

 

 

 

Saying that, Erika-chan entered my room and… jumped onto my bed.

 

 

 

“Well then, good night~”

 

 

 

“No, no, wait, wait, wait.”

 

 

 

I hurriedly stopped Erika-chan from pulling the futon over her head and trying to sleep.

 

 

 

“I told you I had my period yesterday. It’s only the second day. It’s painful.”

 

 

 

“Then why are you sleeping in my room!?”

 

 

 

“Because last night was the most snug sleep I’ve ever had. As gratitude, I’ll leave my warmth on your futon so let me go.”

 

 

 

“I don’t want that sort of gratitude!! You can’t sleep in my room!!”

 

 

 

She has such a nonexistent sense of danger that I have a headache. Or is it that she doesn’t see me as a man at all? That in itself is headache inducing though…

 

 

 

“Then, what about Mana and the others!?”

 

 

 

There was no sign that my sister or any of her other yankee friends were home. If they were here, I would’ve known immediately because of the noise.

 

 

 

“Mana and the others are at a nearby convenience store. I came first because I have a stomachache.”

 

 

 

“Then why don’t you just wait in Mana’s room? Don’t sleep in my bed!”

 

 

 

“Tsk. Then, I’ll just roll around.” [TLN: she said gorogoro]

 

 

 

“Both sleeping and rolling about! You can’t do either of them!”

 

 

 

“Isn’t it fine just for a while~? Ah, Onii-san, if you want to sleep, you can sleep with me~”

 

 

 

Erika-chan said, in a sweet voice like a spoiled child. She rolled over on the bed, looking up at me with both arms outstretched. Her appearance was completely like that of a girlfriend waiting for me to come to bed. [TLN: i don’t think i did her cuteness justice so just imagine it about 10000x cuter]

 

 

 

—No wait. She’s not my girlfriend. Why was I getting a bit excited!!?

 

 

 

I purged all my worldly desires from my mind.

 

 

 

Then, after pausing for a while, I said to Erika-chan.

 

 

 

“For now… don’t roll around in that uniform!”

 

 

 

I wanted to get Erika off the bed by any means, and that was the line that popped into my head.

 

 

 

Then, Erika-chan pouted.

 

 

 

“Eh~? Is there a problem with that~?”

 

 

 

“Problem…?”

 

 

 

‘Don’t roll around in your uniform’, was what Mom used to say to Mana, so it was instilled into my mind. That’s why, if she asked what the problem with it was, I’d be at a loss for words.

 

 

 

“Err… the skirt will get creases, right? Wouldn’t it be time-consuming and expensive to send it out for proper cleaning to fix that?”

 

 

 

I thought about it and answered, and Erika-chan looked at me with a dubious face.

 

 

 

“Are creases that big of a problem?”

 

 

 

“Since you wear those clothes all the time, I thought it would feel better if they were clean and tidy.”

 

 

 

“…Onii-san, do you think a high school girl in a clean uniform would be better?”

 

 

 

“That’s right. If their uniform looks wrinkled and dirty, then I’d think that they’re a sloppy person.”

 

 

 

“…I see.”

 

 

 

Erika-chan looked uninterested. However, she understood my point and got up from the bed and sat on the edge.

 

 

 

“Onii-san, is there anything else you think I should fix about myself?”

 

 

 

Erika-chan asked,  dangling her feet.

 

 

 

“Let me see… Ah, at the entrance! I always thought about this but, arrange your shoes properly before you enter the house!”

 

 

 

“Why?”

 

 

 

“Because…”

 

 

 

At this age, it seems like it should be common sense, but this reaction is weird. I felt like a mother explaining to a kindergartener.

 

 

 

“…I guess it’s to prevent people from losing track of their own shoes or people who come after them from losing their shoes.”

 

 

 

“Do you usually worry about people coming after you?”

 

 

 

Erika-chan tilted her head in puzzlement.

 

 

 

I sighed and proposed to Erika-chan.

 

 

 

“Well then, imagine this. There was a place you really wanted to go, and when you arrived, the people who arrived before you left their shoes in a disorderly mess, what would you think?”

 

 

 

“I’d want to kick them hard. Because they’re in the way.”

 

 

 

“It’s up to you whether you’re angry or sad or disgusted, but it’s not a good feeling. That’s why, arrange your shoes to not make someone else feel bad for something of your own doing, just as you would’ve felt.”

 

 

 

“Hmm…I see. I’ll try to be careful from now on. Though, I’m very forgetful so there might be days I don’t do it.”

 

 

 

Surprisingly, she listened to me honestly. I was quite happy with that.

 

 

 

“It may be difficult to immediately be consistent, but just being able to think that way makes all the difference. I’m sure one day you’ll be able to do it naturally.”

 

 

 

When I smiled at Erika-chan, she looked away, looking a little embarrassed.

 

 

 

Erika doesn’t have a lot of common sense, but she’s kind enough to talk to Mana when she used to be all alone. She’s also surprisingly honest and cute.

 

 

 

“Is there anything else?”

 

 

 

She asked bluntly.

 

 

 

“Um…Oh yeah. I know it’s not something you really need to fix, but there’s something I’ve always wanted to tell you, but never have.”

 

 

 

“Eh? What?”

 

 

 

“Erika-chan, thank you very much for always being such a good friend to Mana.”

 

 

 

I told her how I had always felt.

 

 

 

Then, Erika-chan suddenly got up from the bed, her lips pursed and a weird expression on her face. The pillow fell off the bed from the recoil of her standing up.

 

 

 

“Ah—that’s enough! I’m done resting! I’m going to go play with Mana and the others!”

 

 

 

“Ah, hey! Come back and fix this first!”

 

 

 

Scolding people isn’t really my hobby, but when it comes to looking after the yankee girls, I have a lot of complaints. Especially when it comes to Erika-chan.

 

 

 

I looked at Erika, feeling sorry for all the lecturing, and as expected, she looked disgusted.

 

 

 

“…Onii-san, you’re too nitpicky about everything. About skirts, about shoes, about pillows.. That’s why you can’t get a girlfriend, okay?”

 

 

 

Something stabbed me deep in the heart. Is this sorrow gushing out of the wound…

 

 

 

“I’m devoting myself to my studies! It’s fine to worry about love once you’re a working adult. I’m not trying to get a girlfriend, so it’s no wonder I can’t have one!”

 

 

 

“Isn’t that just an excuse~? You’re lying to yourself that you don’t want a girlfriend because you can’t get one no matter what you do, right?”

 

 

 

Erika-chan snickered.

 

 

 

The beautiful girl with angelically good looks was starting to look like a devil.

 

 

 

But I didn’t want to let Erika off the hook.

 

 

 

“I admit that those are just excuses but—”

 

 

 

I said to Erika-chan with a serious face.

 

 

 

“—Even so, even if Erika-chan thinks it’s just a small detail, I’ll keep on advising you. You can be bothered if you can’t do something, but you won’t be bothered if you can. And if you stop even before trying, I think it’d be a loss for Erika-chan if you don’t realize it.”

 

 

 

If I didn’t have any feelings for Erika, I wouldn’t bother caring for her. That’s the way it is, it can’t be helped. It’s easy to give up and say it’s useless.

 

 

 

But I feel like I want to tell Erika-chan.

 

 

 

This is…a proof that I care about Erika-chan.

 

 

 

Hearing my words, Erika looked at me dubiously.

 

 

 

“You mean I should know some common sense?”

 

 

 

“Something like that… When you go out into society, everything is based on common sense, so if you don’t know anything about common sense, you’ll often be looked down on by people. You don’t want that, do you, Erika-chan?”

 

 

 

“I don’t like it… when people look down on me.”

 

 

 

It was painstakingly difficult to communicate clearly to a yankee. But Erika-chan reluctantly picked up the fallen pillow and put it back on the bed.

 

 

 

I’m glad that my feelings were conveyed. Just as I was relieved, Erika grinned at me.

 

 

 

“However, Onii-san, could it be that you were worried about my future~?”

 

 

 

As expected of Erika-chan. It only took her several seconds to get over the depression from the preaching time.

 

 

 

How quickly she switched her mood to make fun of me.

 

 

 

While admiring her oddity, I answered.

 

 

 

“Of course I’m worried. Erika-chan’s been coming to my house for a long time now, and you’re already like a little sister to me.”

 

 

 

“Hee~? A little sister~. I see, since you decided to not bother with love now, so you don’t think of me as a love interest~?”

 

 

 

“Erika-chan? No way, absolutely not!”

 

 

 

When I heard Erika’s words, I couldn’t help but laugh.

 

 

 

“Hmm? Then, what would you do if I said that I wanted to be your girlfriend right now?”

 

 

 

“Eh?”

 

 

 

My laughter receded.

 

 

 

Erika-chan, who was staring at me, seemed to have a more serious expression than usual.

 

 

 

—Don’t tell me, Erika-chan likes me…?

 

 

 

I never expected that my sister’s friend would like me.

 

 

 

I mean, that’s impossible…

 

 

 

As I was frozen in confusion, Erika-chan suddenly burst into laughter.

 

 

 

“Ahahaha! Onii-san’s face is too funny~!”

 

 

 

“Ah! Hey! You were making fun of me!”

 

 

 

“What~? Did you get flustered by thinking I was serious? Did you imagine that your sister’s friend might become your girlfriend~?”

 

 

 

“No, I didn’t! I was just baffled by how impossible it was!”

 

 

 

“Hoo~? Impossible, you say~?”

 

 

 

Erika-chan patted me on the back as she walked by, heading for the door of my room.

 

 

 

“You know, in the manga in Onii-san’s room, it says, ‘There is no such thing as impossible’.”

 

 

 

“So it’s not impossible for Erika-chan to suddenly become a neat and tidy JK either.”

 

 

 

“Ha? That’s absolutely not possible!”

 

 

 

In the end, I teased Erika-chan as she ran out of the room blushing.

 

 

 

I chuckled alone in my room.

 

 

 

“Good grief… she’s adorable.”

 

 

 

I unintentionally muttered to myself.

 

 

 

I really felt like Erika-chan was my sister.

 

 

 

I’m worried about her future because she doesn’t have any common sense. I can’t leave her alone because I don’t want her to get into danger.

 

 

 

I want to teach her many things. From now on, too.

 

 

 

I went towards my bed where Erika-chan had left the futon in a mess. Since she was just sitting on it, the futon was still warm, and I arranged it carefully while trying not to touch it.

 

 

 

…Getting excited over Erika-chan who was like a little sister to me, was a feeling I wanted to avoid.